Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs

9 reviews

erins_bookrecs's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Violence

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Torture, and Sexual harassment

finch_kid's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Torture, and Trafficking

readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Misc: far worse people in this book but god Sands is a loser in my eyes.

Jacobs is such a talented writer and her analysis of race, class and gender ages extremely well for being over a century old.  Even on the hellish conditions she lives in and others enslaved she is very aware of the advantages and unique dangers her family light skin and mixed heritage puts them in as slaves and especially her boy who without knowledge of his family or ancestry passes as white. She also keeps everyone very human because the hell of chattel slavery is man made whether it’s a woman who owns slaves helping her escape or even a slave trader helping her family keep the kids her master is trying to send away to punish her while telling her brother he owes him helping him convince black women to be sold by him on his next trip after talking about his field of work hurt his heart. People with such odd mixes and harmful politics are still really real and you can feel Jacobs bafflement and odd gratitude to those people that are also very human for her especially when she later likens pro slavery southerners to snakes and talks about just how freeing that is. It is also very obvious the book is intended for a northern audience to convince them to repeal the fugitive slave act that I think makes this classic so idea for the classroom and I wish books like these by black Americans who lived through these things were what were commonplace vs the Uncle Tom cabin or Tony sawyer. Also really happy this was apparently a bestseller in Japan when it was translated to Japanese in 2017.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage and Misogyny

thomasina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Deportation

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

An important chronicle of the horrors enslaved people in the US endured and the lengths some of them had to go to to secure the freedom that should have been theirs all along.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Terminal illness, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

val_lenci's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

This title brought me to tears. There were moments when I had to take a mental break due to the description of the atrocities that happened to predominately Black women during this sinful period. Strong emotions held by desperation was expressed in every chapter. Her story thankfully ended on a satisfying note. It left me feeling strong; as in no matter how battling life can get, faith can still be found. (Hope I explained this correctly.) It is extremely advised to want to mentally prepare yourself before reading this book, especially if you identify as a black woman. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Abandonment

tyrannosaurus_lex's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book should be required reading when teaching American history in schools. 

A straightforward, heart wrenching account of one person’s lifelong attempt to escape the horrors of slavery, and the continued prejudices she encountered beyond. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, and Violence

paisleypetty's review against another edition

dark inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Gaslighting

msorvella's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Torture